As BALIHT is further developing the next state-of-the-art redox flow battery, the project’s partners integrated BALIHT into the European network of batteries.
The FLORES network
It was first done by joining the FLORES network in 2021. This network, coordinated by SONAR, aims at gathering 14 EU-funded research projects working on the next-generation flow batteries. FLORES believes in the utmost role of energy storage to make the integration of renewable energy into the power grid a reality. Without energy storage and thus, flexibility, the shift from the fossil energies paradigm to sustainable sources of energy would fail. In this view, this network is exploiting synergies but also publicising results to make these technologies known to decisionmakers.
BALIHT is actively participating in FLORES events such as the Workshop on “digital twins for flow batteries” last September where updates on progress of the 14 EU-funded research projects were disseminated.
The collaboration with FLORES goes even further with its participation to the International Flow Battery Forum (IFBF) this year in Prague.
International Flow Battery Forum initiative
The International Flow Battery Forum’s goal is to raise awareness on flow batteries as an essential technology. IFBF shares the same assessment as FLORES: integrating renewable energies and reaching a more sustainable power grid. The use of energy storage (partly through flow batteries) is a requirement. Each year, IFBF is organising a forum, a place to exchange views and ideas on the importance of energy storage through flow batteries. This 2023 edition was held in Prague where BALIHT and FLORES shared a booth.
This Prague edition was a major hit as 300 people gathered for three days. It was identified that another set of opportunities and prospects for flow batteries could be the use of flow batteries for commercial and industrial uses. Even though BALIHT considers bringing flexibility to the power grid, our prototype could perfectly be fit for an industrial use because of its high resistance to extreme temperature and its performance with frequent charging and discharging cycles.
BALIHT welcomes those initiatives to highlight the potential of flow batteries for the digital and green transition of our societies.